The present invention relates to systems for thermal ablation of tumors and the like, for example, by microwave ablation, and in particular to a system for monitoring the progress of this ablation using radiofrequency signals.
Thermal ablation is a method of treating tumors, for example, in the liver, kidney or lung that serves as an alternative to surgical removal. In microwave thermal ablation, a slender microwave antenna is inserted through tissue to conduct microwave energy to a location of a tumor. The microwave energy absorbed by the tumor heats the tumor cells causing cell death.
Medical imaging including variants of conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to confirm that the lesion fully covers both the original tumor and a margin of tissue surrounding that tumor. However, medical imaging can be expensive and may be negatively affected by bubbles or other changes during thermal ablation, and is therefore not routinely used intraprocedurally. Post-ablation imaging is not able to show treatment evolution or predict potential complications before they occur.